Will the wait of bleary-eyed farmers for 40 years eventually see water in their parched land? Will the stone crushing work start again? Will the constituency retain its eminence?
These are some of the issues exercising the voters in this reserved Lok Sabha constituency which former Deputy Prime Minister Jagjiwan Ram brought to the limelight, and now his daughter and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar is keeping the torch alight.
A triangular battle is developing with her arch rival and BJP candidate Chedi Paswan and JD(U) candidate K.P. Ramaiah, who quit the IAS to try his political luck. The point of discussion is whether Durgawati project would fructify and irrigate their land. The day water is released from the dam it will be celebration for about one lakh farmers of Rohtas and Kaimur districts. The project will irrigate about 27,000 hectares of land.
As Union Agriculture Minister, Mr. Ram had laid the foundation stone of the project in 1972. The project cost has now shot up to almost Rs. 1,000 crore from the initial estimate of Rs. 26.15 crore.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi in her speech on Tuesday said the farmers would get the water this agricultural season. But, the locals are weighing the options as to who they should back at this crucial hour so that the dam work is completed and canals built and the water released.
Saroj Kumar from Dariagaon, the village that will be among the first to get the water, said most of the issues, including the displacement of over 400 families from Karamchat villages have been resolved. One member of each family has been given a job.
Ramji Singh from Nawadi village contended that the BJP when in power at the Centre in 1999 started work just ahead of the elections and soon after forgot all about it.
But, Ram Sharan Prasad Gupta from Chenari credited the Lok Sabha Speaker for getting the project on track.
Some question the pace of work and doubt if the work could get completed by May before the onset of monsoon. After 10 Lok Sabha elections and eight Assembly elections, national leaders are talking about it.
No wonder, State Water Resources Development Minister Vijay Chaudhary is expected to visit the dam and take stock of the situation on Saturday.
Similarly, the stone crushing industry has come to a standstill and the man who is accused of stopping it is none other than the JD(U) candidate, who in his capacity as the State mining department secretary, had stopped the mining activity.
Now, Mr. Ramaiah and JD(U) leaders plead that they would get the matter resolved soon. It is just not the contractors but also the 40,000 people, who were employed in the sector, are up in arms. The BJP too is giving the same assurance to the people as it was part of the government when the decision was taken.
Raju Kumar Suman, a Dalit, roots for the Lok Sabha Speaker saying it is a matter of pride for the constituency. “We identify ourselves and the constituency with her status. Every one knows about Sasaram across the country and internationally because of her.”
Vijay Kumar Singh from Chenari fears that the defeat of Ms. Kumar would deprive the constituency of its glory, while Ram Lochan Singh from Rohtas accuses Mr. Paswan of being an opportunist changing parties about half a dozen times.
Ms. Kumar and Mr. Paswan will be renewing their battle the fifth time.
Ms. Kumar won with a thumping majority in 2004 with the support of the RJD and became the Union Minister, and in 2009 she scored but with a lower margin when the Congress snapped ties with the RJD. The RJD is backing her again.
What are the chances of Ms. Meira Kumar becoming a Minister or the Lok Sabha Speaker this time?, asks Lallan Paswan adding that the constituency might still get a Minister if the BJP came to power at the Centre.
